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The clan of Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha, located in present-day Nepal.

The last of the great Indian scholars to travel to Tibet. He remained in Tibet for ten years, where he taught many Buddhist texts and founded four major monastic centres in Ü and Tsang regions.

Fourth of the one thousand founding buddhas of this present world age. Born a prince of the Shakya clan in north India, he taught the sutra and tantra paths to liberation and enlightenment; founder of what came to be known as Buddhism. (From the Skt: buddha—"fully awake.")

An eighth century Indian scholar and disciple of Shantarakshita, Shakyaprabha was learned in the Vinaya (ethical discipline). He is usually thought to be one of the Two Supreme Ones.

Calm abiding; a state of concentration in which the mind is able to abide steadily, without effort and for as long as desired, on an object of meditation. There are nine stages in its development.

Eighth century Indian Buddhist philosopher and bodhisattva who propounded the Prasangika Madhyamaka (Middle Way Consequence) view. Shantideva wrote the quintessential Mahayana text, A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life (Skt: Bodhicarayavatara; Tib: jang chub sem pä chö pa la jug pa).

Ordained by Geshe Potowa and guru of Geshe Chekawa.

One of the two principal disciples of the Buddha, with Maudgalyayana.

The lower part of a Tibetan monk’s or nun’s robes.

A native of the Everest region of Nepal. Two famous Sherpas are Sherpa Tenzin, the first person to climb Mt. Everest, and Lama Zopa Rinpoche.

See shamatha.

A hearer; a Hinayana practitioner who strives for liberation from cyclic existence on the basis of listening to teachings from a teacher. There are four divisions: stream-enterer, once-returner, non-returner and arhat. Each of these divisions has two stages, a developing level and a resultant level, thus there are eight levels in total. Cf. pratyekabuddha.

The Hearer Vehicle. One of the branches of the Hinayana. The path of hearers (shravakas), practitioners who strive for liberation from cyclic existence on the basis of listening to teachings from a spiritual guide or teacher. See also Pratyekabuddhayana.

Dorje Shugden, also known as Dolgyal, is a worldly spirit previously practiced by many followers of the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. His Holiness the Dalai Lama has stated that Shugden is a spirit, not an enlightened being or Dharma protector, as claimed by some, and strongly advises against it. See Lama Zopa Rinpoche's advice on Shugden.

See emptiness.

The prince of the Shakya clan who became Shakyamuni Buddha, the historical Buddha.

A realization or attainment, either common or supreme. Common siddhis refer to psychic powers acquired as a by-product of the spiritual path; supreme siddhi refers to great liberation or enlightenment. See also eight common siddhis.

A red powder used in tantric practices, especially Vajrayogini.

A state of deep meditative absorption; single-pointed concentration on the actual nature of things, free from discursive thought and dualistic conceptions. See also analytical meditation.

Also called laxity or sluggishness, sinking thought is a mental factor which causes the object of meditation to appear in a dull manner. Gross laxity is a dull and heavy mind which holds the object of meditation but lacks clarity and lucidity. Subtle laxity is a stable mind which holds the object of meditation clearly but lacks intensity. Sinking thought and scattering are the two main hindrances to single-pointed concentration. See also lethargy.

From the lowest to the highest, they are: 1) The heaven of the four great kings (Tib: gyalchen rizhi; Wyl: rgyal chen ris bzhi); 2) The heaven of the thirty-three (Tib: sumchu tsa sum; Wyl: sum cu rtsa gsum); 3) Free from conflict (Tib: thab dräl; Wyl: 'thab bral); 4) Joyful (Tib: ganden; Wyl: dga' ldan); 5) Joyful emanation (Tib: trulga; Wyl: 'phrul dga'); and 6) Power over others' emanations (Tib: zhentrul wangje; Wyl: gzhan 'phrul dbang byed). See also desire realm, which is one of three realms of samsara.

The six equanimities are defined in The Great Gomde Dictionary as a tradition of Mahamudra practice advice coming from the Drukpa Kagyu lineage of Tsangpa Gyarey (1161-1211) and so forth. The six are: taking discursive thoughts onto the path (rnam rtog lam 'khyer), taking afflictions onto the path (nyon mongs lam 'khyer), taking sickness onto the path (na tsha lam 'khyer), taking deities and demons onto the path (lha 'dre lam 'khyer), taking suffering onto the path (sdug bsngal lam 'khyer), and taking death onto the path ('chi ba lam 'khyer). This practice was concealed as a terma by Jetsun Rechungpa and revealed by Drogon Tsangpa Gyarey.

The practitioner is like the patient, the Dharma is medicine, the guru is like a skilled doctor and the Sangha are like nurses, Dharma practice is like the cure, the guru is as holy as the buddhas, the Dharma should remain a long time.

The six great Indian scholars, Nagarjuna, Aryadeva, Asanga, Vasubandhu, Dignaga and Dharmakirti, who together with the Two Supreme Ones, Gunaprabha and Shakyaprabha, wrote extensive commentaries on the Buddha's teachings.

The practices of a bodhisattva. On the basis of bodhicitta, a bodhisattva practices the six perfections: generosity, morality, patience, enthusiastic perseverance, concentration and wisdom. See also Paramitayana.

1) Cleaning the space and preparing the altar; 2) making offerings on the altar; 3) sitting comfortably, checking the state of the mind, taking refuge and generating bodhicitta; 4) visualizing the merit field; 5) offering the seven-limb prayer and a mandala; 6) requesting the guru for inspiration.

The general way that Buddhism divides the whole of cyclic existence; there are three lower realms (hell, hungry ghost and animal) and three upper realms (human, demigod and god).

See root delusions.

A six-fold classification of how sentient beings suffer. They are: nothing is definite in samsara, nothing gives satisfaction in samsara, we have to leave this samsaric body again and again, we have to take rebirth again and again, we forever travel between higher and lower in samsara, we experience pain and death alone. See also eight types of suffering and three types of suffering.

Six advanced tantric practices devised by the great Indian pandit, Naropa; they are: the yoga of inner fire (Tib: tummo), of illusory body, of clear light, of the dream state, of the intermediate state (Tib: bardo), and of the transference of consciousness (Tib: powa).

A daily commitment for Highest Yoga Tantra initiates, incorporating refuge, offerings and so forth, recited six times a day.

See aggregates.

A Highest Yoga Tantra practice where the practitioner goes to sleep visualizing themselves as the guru-deity in the mandala in order to make it easier to attain the clear light mind. In the generation stage, without the realization of emptiness, this is called "with fabrication" or "with sign"; in the completion stage, with a realization of emptiness, this is called "without fabrication" or "without sign." See also waking yoga.

See laxity.

The bi-monthly practice by ordained Sangha of purifying broken vows by confession in front of other Sangha members.

See pratyekabuddha.